Olympia is set to unveil plans for a major overhaul of Pacific and State avenues, enhancing safety and accessibility for all road users.
Residents are invited to an in-person public information session to discuss the State and Pacific Avenue Pedestrian and Bike Safety Project.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 5:30-7 p.m. at Olympia City Hall's Council Chambers, located at 601 4th Ave. E.
The city staff will present the concept graphics, and attendees will have the opportunity to review them and ask questions about the project.
The planned improvements will take place along Pacific and State avenues, stretching from Sawyer to Fir streets. The goal is to create better conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, people taking transit and driving through this area.
The project will include chip seal resurfacing project, concrete work to install sidewalks and pedestrian islands, as well as road striping. The work will happen in phases.
The first phase of the project, focusing on sidewalk and concrete island installation, is set to begin in 2025. It is projected to cost $1.6 million; it will be funded by the Transportation Benefit District sales tax.
The final two phases, which involve resurfacing and restriping the roadway, are part of a larger $2.34-million chip seal project. Those phases are funded through a National Highway System federal grant and TBD license fees.
One of the project's features is the parking-separated bike lane to improve safety and accessibility for people using transportation infrastructure.
To achieve this, some on-street parking along State and Pacific avenues will be removed, reduced or moved to make room for a separate bike lane.
In some areas, parking stalls will create a buffer between traffic and the bike lane. Other changes include:
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JulesJames
$2.34 million wasted on more empty arterial bike lanes pitched as anything but a bike lane project. Normal bicycle riders (not the Spandex super warriors) don't want to ride in the noise and commercial chaos. Put the bike infrastructure on side streets.
Monday, February 3 Report this
ChuckCross
I'LL BET CITY HALL CAN GUVE US A TRAFFIC COUNT ON JUST ABOUT ANY STREET WE WOULD CHOOSE. I WSONDER IF THEY CAN GIVE US A BICYCLE COUNT ON ANY OF THE BICYCLE LANES IN OLYMPIA. FROM OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, IT DOES SEEM THAT BICYCLE LANES MOSTLY REMAIN EMPTY.
Monday, February 3 Report this
KarenM
With the increase in use of electric bikes, the bike lanes will offer a safer way to get around. It doesn't make sense to send cyclists onto side streets. What if the place they want to go is on a main street? Also, practical cyclists want a direct route. They likely just want to get where they are going. There are lots of people in our area who cycle for their daily transportation needs. There could be more with a safer street system.
5 days ago Report this
YurmaZahow
Another boondoggle to impede actual business and give
the lumpenproletariat more secure areas to defecate in.
I used to be a liberal until I saw what our City Council
has done to Olympia.
5 days ago Report this
The_Armed_Gardener
Chip seal is just cosmetic and, as intended, will only last a single political term. The bicycle improvements will only serve junkies on stolen bicycles. Paint just the lines needed like any normal city and forget about the "extras." Please, use the funds to remove and replace the pavement you can, like adults who care about the future and not just your political term.
5 days ago Report this
BillString
Another boondoggle, another chunk of out tax dollars wasted, and yet I still see the homeless everywhere and the city refuses to fix my alleyway. Olympia as usual.
5 days ago Report this
CaptObvious
@YurmaZahow
Are you crafting a
Haiku with your formatting?
It's a little odd.
5 days ago Report this
Dogmom
Here we go again, no common sense. I do not see one benefit for actual drivers to use these roads. These projects will only hinder drivers and remove parking that is already sparse. You are doing all of this road improvement for cyclists. You don't even require them to have a license to ride their bikes. Not only, would it give people a way to track a bicyclist that hits you but take that license fee money to build those bike lanes. Like one of the comments on here, have you taken the time to count just how many bicyclists use these bike lanes to warrant this cost to taxpayers? We don't need concrete islands, or bulb-outs either. I can see putting sidewalks in where there aren't any but what is this rebuilt sidewalk talk. You dedicated a whole street on 7th Avenue to accommodate cyclists and I have yet to see one bike on it in my travels since it was put in and at what cost to the taxpayer again. As far as pedestrian safety, a good way to help protect pedestrians would be to educate them on looking before crossing the street instead of having their face in their phone and not even paying attention (a little common sense goes a long way). How about taking that money, you are so free about and actually benefit the majority of people in Thurston County. I am not against bike riders at all, I just wish the Olympia City Council would have some common sense in these decisions and quit wasting our money. Thank you
3 days ago Report this